Standards

Where are our standards? In Christianity, we have a set of rules that we follow called the TEN COMMANDMENTS...and these are our big rules to follow. And yet we agree on most and so does society like murder and stealing, yet there are some Christians that live a life that is such that they forget about the other ones like lying, cheating, and not forsaking to assembly (meaning keeping the sabbath holy). And in these by following them we honor God. Yet, for reason we have Christians who actually believe it is ok to not go to church and worship alone, when the bible says KEEP THE SABBATH HOLY AND PAUL TELLS US TO NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLYING OF OURSELVES. How and why do we have those beliefs? Were are these seperate set of beliefs coming from? Really what defintion can you find in scripture that allows you to say its ok for you to have church all by yourself in your room on sunday, instead of going to church "because you don't like church." In fact Paul thought it was so important we said it again when he said "as you see the times nearing the end, forsake not the assemblying of yourselves."
Lying we have a color code system for them that helps make ourselves feel better about it when we do it. So, we call lies that we have to tell white, little white lies. And ones that are not as BIG to us or don't affect that many people little lies. And the bad ones we call black lies or big lies that we some how believe to be wrong while the white ones or ok. When does it say in the bible that it is ok to lie? When? HOW? Where? Did Jesus ever say its ok to tell some small ones but its not to tell big ones? How can we justify this. How can we justify not going to church because we don't like it and lying because it is needed? I must say we have fallen far from the standard of holiness that our God tells us to uphold when he said in the New Testament "Be holy for I am Holy."
Wether you want to believe it or not we have a HIGHER ARCHY of sin. Murder is big..stealing is bad..lying is ok..cheating on tests no biggie...sexual sins..well men will be men. NO ITS ALL THE SAME IN THE EYES OF GOD. It's all the same. In the eyes of God no sin or worse or more important than any other. Lying is just the same as murder in the eyes of God, yet we as human classify it as a lesser sin and one that we define as ok in the church and we accept it. Please don't get me wrong, I am not saying not to love God nor that it's all hell, fire, and burnstone. What i am saying is, if we are not careful we will become so loose with our faith that almost everything will be ok and acceptable and there will be no more code or standard for us to uphold. We will all just do as we please and try to do the best we can with what we have.
Well we hav the bible as the standard of morality and our code of ethics. Therefore, we are going to be held accountable for what it says and to do what it says is right and to not do what it says is wrong. It is spelled out in scripture and these are TEN THINGS we can't change on, ten things that if everything else fells we ahve to uphold to these ten things. Ladies and gentlemen..i tell you this if one can hold to these ten and do his/her best with everything else in the bible and seek the face of God for help to not do those things that don't please God, everything in the end will be ok. That is your hope and that is your security. In the end, we will be ok...if we serve, follow, and obey GOD.

The Modern Christian World (as we know it)

According to George Barna the great Christian statistician and theologian 2/3 of all christians are casual christians, wether by admittance or by choice it is clear that there is a problem in America with the true christian experience. Is is us or is it the gospel we have been taught? Everyone shares the gospel but no one tells the prospective believer about the cost they must pay to become a true believer in Christ. We are taught that Jesus loves us and that he is source of all things that are good yet we live out the fact that he is the creator of ALL THINGS, both good and bad. He makes all things good or bad, therefore the source of all things good or bad in our life is from him.

Serving a God that is sovereign not fair. Meaning he is not a God of fairness but a God that is over all things and he makes us decision that are based upon his wisdom and power. Looking trusting in God is easy when the moments of life are easy or it is an emotional experience but were he fail the new believers is we don't teach them God is God in the bad just as he is in the good and therefore we create babies with source of a bottle to find nourishment. Is the totally against the norm of what Jesus said was a Christian when he said to "Take up from cross and follow me...." Denying yourself and following him. This is meant to deny everything that you are and everything that you desire and follow Jesus, trusting that he who lives inside of you will show you how to live. The rich man couldn't do it. And the modern christian in 2009 doesn't either. We never pick our bible up until the pastor says "if you have your bibles turn with me....to" We play religion and seem to think that we live a life that is ok in the sight of a holy God that can't look, be around, nor stand in the midst of sin.

Where is our confession of sins during the week? Prayer life? Scripture reading? Where is the relationship in the midst of our "religion" What are we doing to show we really are what we claim to be? And we wonder why people don't want to come to church or way people leave the church and return to the world. Are we any different then the sinner? What is the difference? Is are a difference? We have become so concerned about looking the part or looking like we are doing right, we have totally forgotten about the spiritual disciplines that make us what we say we are. Meditation when was the last time we did that? Not yoga, or MT, but taking time out of the day to focus on him and leave everything else go for just a moment. The modern Christian world is polluted with this ask Jesus for anything and he will do it or claim it and name it. Jesus said faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain...yes he did, agree! But the next verse says that this does not happen without prayer and FASTING. HMMM....prayer and fasting two spiritual disciplines we so often fail to perform in our christian walk.

The modern Christian is brainwashed by the gospel that says that all you have to do is accept Christ and your life will at that moment change. This seeker friendly gospel that pulls people in based upon emotion and nothing more. This is the great lie of the modern christian world. That emotion will sustain you and that God will take away all pain from your life at the moment of salvation eliminating anything bad from happening to you because you are now "saved." But my bible says that it rains on the just and the unjust. Meaning God is sovereign and bad things happen to good people. I doubt you would win the argument with Job in convincing him that nothing bad happens to those who have accepted Jesus.

The problem is not the fact that people are coming to know God, the problem is that people are being told lies about the christian experience. Its not a magic formula or Gatorade that recharges your life, it is your life. Being a christ must BECOME YOUR LIFE. Being a christian is the process of becoming like Christ. You are in the process of being something that you previously were not, you are changed and transformed. Not just actions, but behavior and lifestyle must change. The problem with the causal christian and many new converts is they don't know how to go about that change. Why do they struggle with the demons of their past? Lots of times because they weren't taught how to overcome them and even worse they don't know that it is a problem because they haven't been told the truth. For the truth to set you free, you have to know what it is. People live in bondage because they don't know the truth of God's word and the christian experience becomes too hard because they are trying to live in out themselves, when it is God who must be the guide for true spiritual living.

This current state of the christian faith sickens those from generations before us. Why? Because our generation has become brainwashed with the name it claim it, prosperity gospel, believe God for anything and you will get it. Ask the rich man who came to Jesus and said what must I do to be saved and Jesus told him to sell it all and follow him. That is totally 100% opposite of the way that Jesus taught the gospel. We have taught people you can be saved but don't have to give it all to Jesus. "Salvation is a free gift come and find Jesus." No salvation is not free it cost you everything that you have!

True salvation means you give it all to Jesus, everything you are, everything you become, and everything you were is given to him. Why do we preach such a soft gospel when Jesus calls us to follow him and trust him. Our morality is based upon scripture not scholarship or people's opinions of the bible. What the bible says is right is right and what the bible says is wrong is wrong. Bottom line Jesus is the standard for living and without him there is no such thing as salvation. Jesus was perfect and yes we will never be perfect but he is the one who he look to for all source of goodness and without him our faith is all in vain. Base you salvation on the truth of scripture not the theology of modern christianity!

The Doctrine of Incarnation

Before begin to go into what incarnation is, let us first describe what incarnation is not. 

1. Incarnation is NOT RELOCATION- Meaning Christ didn't come down from heaven to Mary. Going from one place to another.

2. Incarnation is NOT TRANSFORMATION- Meaning Christ became something that he was not before. Transformation meaning that Christ gained and/or lost something in the process of heaven to earth.

3. Incarnation is NOT "TERTUM QUID"- "Third Thing" Meaning a bringing together of elements to create something new. Christ was and is not a bringing together of human and Godly elements to form some sort of super human, Hercules like figure. 

Incarnation is- Jesus is fully God and fully human while in the integrity of 1 person of Jesus Christ. He is all that it means to be human and all that it means to be God in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the word and the son (John 1:1) He is God existing in the community of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). God didn't become human in the form of Jesus the word/son of God became flesh "and dwelt among us." Probably one of the best ways to understand incarnation is put it this way "Became flesh in form of God while still being God." 

The same source that John speaks about in John 1:1, the word is present in the womb of Mary working by the Holy Spirit. That spirit is present throughout all of creation from the creation account in Genesis 1:2 "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The same source that overshadowed Mary or Spirit that overshadowed her is the same spirit that hovered over the waters in Genesis, the spirit of God or Holy Spirit, the Word (John 1:1), and God himself were there for the beginning of creation. And all three played a role in the birth of Christ, when the word being God and man came into the world. 

The same spirit that hovered over the waters is the same spirit that overshadowed Mary. Why does Matthew use the word overshadowed rather than hovered? In the Hebrew text that the Old Testament was written the word hovered over means exactly the same as the Greek word for overshadowed. However, the word hovered in the Greek during the time that Matthew was writing meant to hold down or in a lose term "to rape." It was not a good thing to say hovered in the Greek. Matthew did not want to give this impression to the readers, so rather than make it seem impure Matthew uses the term overshadow to represent the spirit of God being near to Mary and being within the time in which Mary and the Angel of the Lord are talking.   The trinity is the perfectness of all three parts existing in the community of humanity.

All three work for the good of humanity for the same goal. No single part is more important than 

the other and no one part is complete without the others. God is in all three parts and still is God.

Jesus is in all three parts and still is Jesus. And the Holy Spirit is in all three parts and still is the

Holy Spirit. The community of the God-head is the separate, and equalness of all three working in

creation for the purpose of helping creation. The beautiful thing about God is he can't be contained

and can't be contained to one being. He is God all three in one. He is God in all three.

Christ is not just God and man, but he is all that it means to be God and yet at the same time

all that it means to be human. He is the human form of God, and yet the heavenly form of God. He

is working in the world with a human form and body, yet in the all as God in the word, holy Spirit,

and the father. There is nothing taken away by God being on the earth, he is simply fulfilling the plan

for there to be a ultimate sacrifice for all of the world. 

Being both fully human and fully God at the same time, is the bottom line definition of incarnation.

1. Jesus is fully man (John 1:14, Revelation 1:13)

2. Jesus is fully God (Colossians 1:19, 2:9)

3. Jesus is one person (1 Corinthians 8:6)

This means that it is possible for Jesus, according to his human essence, to grow, learn, die, etc. and according to his Divine essence to perform miracles, create from nothing, etc. The two essences each have their own set of properties, and which properties you see in a verse in Scripture will have something to say about one or the other of them (sometimes both). Because Jesus is human, he has a God to whom he prays and to whom he offers worship. Because he is God he is properly the object of our worship.

Without incarnation our faith and our entire religion is in vain. Without Christ being born into the world and dying for us, our faith is all in vain. In fact Paul said, in Galatians 2:21 "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" The incarnation is necessary for Christ to provide a way for salvation. Without he being born both God and man, died on a cross for all of humanity our faith is in vain, for the law can't save us but righteousness comes from Christ. His death and resurrection are the standard of grace. Grace begins with that. Grace is Jesus being sacrificed for our sins, that is Grace, salvation through faith, that faith being allowed because of the grace of God. 

What better explain of grace than Christ, leaving all of heaven for a sin-sick world, to die for all, and give salvation through him, not law but grace. Without that it all does not matter. Incarnation is the way to explain how Christ way able to do and be what he was, and it is because of him that our faith is what it is. The reason for grace starts with Genesis 1:2 and with spirit being there in the beginning of time. From the start Christ was there and God's plan for salvation began to form. 

Faith, Hope, and Works

In the Christian world there is much debate on the bounds of grace, the works we do and the faith that we share. However, the three are vastly different from each other and the bible gives a clear explanation of what each are and what they do. 

Paul put the grace and faith of humanity into proper prospective in Romans 5:12-21. He starts with talking about Adam and how sin entered into the world by one man. Through one man the world was turned on its side and sin was poured in because of the sin of one man. Paul establishes the fact that because of Adam’s sin entering the world death then entered into the world and death spread to all men because all men have sinned. That sin lead to condemnation to all, death, and destruction to all. From Adam to Moses and from Moses to all, sin entered into the world and destroyed the world of mankind. It reigned in the hearts of men and resulted in the death of man.  

Paul then goes on to talk about the free gift entering into the world not because of one man, like sin did, but because of the free gift resulting in justification rather than condemnation. Judgment came into the world and condemnation however the free gift Paul speaks of came into the world so that the sin which is committed could be reconciled and therefore making man kind justified not in its sin but in life. Paul is saying man has no reason to live because of the sin that entered into the world but the free gift entered the world so that man could have life even though man didn’t deserve it.

The kicker of what Paul is saying occurs in verse 19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” Despite the fact we are born into this sinful and terrible world because of the sin of man in the beginning, there is one man that lived also in this awful, terrible world that loved us so much that he didn’t sin facing the same things we do, tempted and tried in everyway but didn’t fall. And he being the son of God is the ultimate sign of grace. In fact he is grace.

Between his our stretched arms on the cross we find grace. He able to take on all the present, past and future sins of all humanity is the perfect sacrifice. In fact it pleased God to crush his son so that we could be justified in life and be found without sin through his son’s blood and without it we are seen with the awful sinful creation that we are. However, the blood makes us righteous and able to come to God without fear knowing that we will not crush us in our sin but will find us faithful through the blood of his son. And if in the course of this life we find ourselves facing the harms of sin, we have an advocate with the father, he being Jesus Christ is able to see us, hear us, and forgive us.

How is it that we are able to live this life of forgiveness in the sinful world we live in? Paul tells us in Romans 3:28 that man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. The works are separated from the faith of the believer. It is that faith that is through grace that Christ gives that we are able to be justified. Grace is the beginning of how we are able to be saved. It is the grace of God he are able to be saved and our faith makes us justified in the sight of God. It is by grace that we are saved through faith and not of ourselves but it is the gift of God.

Christians have been saved by grace. The grace of God is the source of salvation; faith is the channel not the cause. God alone saves. Salvation never originates in the efforts of people; it always arises out of the loving kindness of God. Truly, Salvation “is of the Lord” (Jon. 2:9). The past tense of the word saved in Ephesians 2:8 indicates that the believer’s salvation has already occurred in the past, at the cross. The gift of God that the verse talks about is saying we can’t do anything to earn our salvation. Paul is saying that even our belief in God does not originate in ourselves. This too is a gift, so no one can take pride in their position as a Christian. Everything is received from our merciful and gracious father.

The real thing that gets misunderstood in scripture with faith, grace, and works is what James says in James 2:14-19 especially in verse 16 “faith without works is dead.” Is is that Paul and James are disagreeing about faith? Is Paul saying it is by grace we have faith and James saying that faith is works and its through works? Absolutely not, James is addresses this section to people who have exercised genuine faith. This issue in this section (2:14-26) is faith without works (v.17) versus faith accompanied by works (v.18). Genuine faith will naturally produce good work; the two complete each other. When someone truly believes in a cause, that belief will change the way the person lives. WORKS: are actions which follow the “royal law” of love (James 2:8, 15, 16). James is implying in this verse that faith in Christ will demonstrate itself in love for others.

James is saying to us that if you really got the goods (sort of speak) there should be signs of that faith. There should be a “working” of your faith. Your seeds you plan with your faith should be reaping good. If there is a real change in your life then it will be noticeable. There will be a sign to know that you have true faith if you have true faith. It is not your works that save you, but if you have true faith you should have works that are noticeable. Not working for the homeless or adopting children (all of good things to do and should be done) but your attitude and your lifestyle more than anything is what James is talking about here. Your life should imitate your faith!

 

A Defense for Christianity

In the day and world we live in we must have a defense for Christianity. It is not enough to say that Christ is Lord and so that is all we need to say. There has to been logic and reason to support the existence of God and reasons for us to believe that we is real. I want to present briefly five arguments for Christianity. 

Argument 1: The origin of the universe demands an uncaused, timeless,  very powerful Source that we call the Christian God.  (1) Something came from nothing; (2) The universe itself is eternal; or (3) The universe was created by something (or someone) eternal. 

There must be a source from which the universe came about. Science tries to explain this with the Big Bang Theory and Evolution but what they theories don't take into account is the fact that there is divine, supreme, power that is both creator of creation and ruler of all nations. There preceptive is off because of the science. Science does not discount God but these theories do. They don't explain the unexplainable. To say that God can be fully understood to shine a light of ignorance to who God is. He is the highest of highs, he is the greatest of greats. How do you define that in logic? You define God has that which can't be explained. 

Just as the question is often asked, Can God create a rock too big for God not to lift? Why, is this not true, because it is not in the nature of God to create something he can't do, because there is nothing that God can't do. There the question is God is not able to do that which is not in his nature such as lie, cheat, or steal. If he did than his supreme authority and power would be called into question.

Argument 2: The intricacy  of the universe on both a macro and a micro level indicates an Intelligent Designer. If oxygen levels on earth were higher or lower, animal, human, and plant life couldn't exist. If the earth were closer to the sun it would be too hot to support life; if it were farther away it would be too cold.  The inter-dependent complexities of the cell, the human eye, and the eco-system displayed intelligent design that could only come from an Intelligent Designer, such as the Christian concept of God. 

We are created with such a precision there is no way possible that someone could say he just came about. That is not logical. To say we just came about or just evolved over time. But who created the monkey from which we came? Who created his ability to think, to eat, to hunt, to sleep, and to evolve. There is no way that a divine power could not have created this because it is too complex to just have came from thin air. What atheist and evolutionaries don't take into account is the fact that there beginning had to have a beginning. Who made the rock that went bang? How did it all happen? Creationist are the only ones that answer all of these question. There is both proofs in scripture and in science to prove this. 

Argument 3: The existence of moral absolutes (such as justice, truth, good, etc.) can only be explained by an infinite Moral Lawgiver, or God. Ethics are not merely a matter of convention, agreement, intuition, or genetic programming, but instead reveal the existence of a Moral Lawgiver whose ethical nature provides foundation for moral absolutes in human society.  Such absolute ethics are not dependent on human thought or conscience, but on the Moral Lawgiver who is beyond the limits of the universe in which we live. 

What is the basis from which all morality and ethical reasoning comes from? 

There has to be a moral absolute. Morality can't stand on its own without a judge from which to be judged. 

There can't be just human reasoning to like morality what it is because humans are not moral. 

Being not perfect we can't be the ethical representation of what is wrong or right. 

There has to be a moral absolute and a ethical absolute. 

Without it then Hitler is right in killing Jews and pain and suffering in the world is good because someone in the world said it was.

Argument 4: Humanity's desire for meaning and value in life presupposes the existence of God.

 human society throughout history and around the world has a belief in God, eventhough their understanding of God may differ. 

Our innate desireto experience the transcendent, to have value and meaning even after death, can only be accounted for if there is a God who implanted these beliefs and desires in us. He quoted the early Christian church father Augustine, who said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their meaning in God."

We desire to understand and were created with a mind that always wondering and wanting to have truths.

Without the mind that seeks value we are not human. The differences between us and animals are the fact that

we desire to have value or the sense of what is wrong are right. Therefore, there must be a creator because

we are not able to create that on our own. It has always be inside us, this only points more to a creator.

Argument 5: The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is so verifiable historically that it passes any reasonable test for history or ancient literature. It can be accepted as not only reasonable, but a true historical event.

This argument ties in with the previous four arguments in two ways. First, it is itself an argument for the existence of God because it argues that only God could do what Jesus did, raise himself from the dead. Second, the one who rose from the dead has demonstrated what is necessary to tell us that God exists and what God is like. 

This account of the resurrection appearances relates that more than 500 people were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ. The evidence that Jesus actually died on the cross and that the tomb was empty after three days. The resurrection accounts have the ring of authenticity, especially in that those who became believers had started out as disillusioned disciples who were not expecting a resurrection. 

There is also a ring of authenticity in the record that women were the first witnesses of the resurrected Christ. Since women in that time were not considered reliable witnesses, someone merely inventing a resurrection would not have concocted their story in a way that had the risen Jesus witnessed first by those who could not testify in court. Because of the physical demonstrations the risen Christ made and the life-changing impact those had on his followers (whose hopes had been dashed at his death), we can be assured that this resurrection was physical and bodily; it was not an illusion, mysticism, wish fulfillment, or spiritual projection.

 C. S. Lewis noted, "If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it isn't. We can't compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We're dealing with fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has not facts to bother about."

Worship

You can enter 6 different churches in America and you will experience 6 different types of worship to God. Even the same denomination does not worship the same way within the setting of the local church. However, what is important the heart of that worship. How your heart worships God, it is so easy to get distracted from worshipping God in church. From girlfriends, to people's clothing, to bad singers, to messing up on musical instruments, to loud singers in the congregation, and the list goes on. However, wether your worship is lifting your hands, closing your eyes, standing straight, sitting, clapping, or just being in service, what really matters is how your heart worships. 

What is key for worship is the personal worship of the individual. It is not how pretty the leader sings or who sings in the choir but is is how the people in church worship within their own hearts. When the hearts of the people in line with God and they are open for God to fill them up, that is when denominational lines are crossed and the walls of separation are torn down. I enjoy loud music, and so in church I enjoy loud music. I enjoy soft music, so in church i enjoy soft music. I have found that I can and need to be able to worship no matter the song and no matter the setting. 

I have had the great opportunity to preach in 6 different denominations. Each worship service very different from the next, but I have found one thing common in all of them. When the people of God come together in worship with open hearts ready to give God their very best and those on stage are focused completely on him then it is a beautiful thing to behold. It is then that regardless of how you worship or what style you like, you find true enjoyment of worship and I believe it is in that all of heaven rejoices and GOd is glorified the most. When we drop the theology and doctrine and just focus on him that is when he find out who God really is. 

Speaking in Tongues

What is the need for tongues? Why? Is it for me today? With so many different opinions on the gift of tongues it makes in the most devoted believer in tongues doubt the need for them in the church world today. However, a question to ponder, would we have the church we have today without the infilling of the spirit on the day of pentecost. It was this event that encouraged, gave faith, gave hope, and empowered the disciples to go out a spread the message of Christ. It was the faithful 120 that stayed that received power from on high. And just maybe in the world today it is just that 120 in sense that are faithful to the cause of tongues and the spiritual gifts. 

 

By 120 I mean the pentecostal denomination that believes in tongues is basically all that is left this includes: Church of God, Assemblies of God, Church of God of Prophecy, Independent Pentecostal Churches, Holiness Church, and many others that are unnamed. Maybe it is not the fact that so few believe but it is that there are only a few left because that is the way that it is supposed to be, just a few who want more of God, and want a God they can feel. By NO MEANS am I saying that theses churches or denominations are better than Catholics, Methodist, Baptist, and others, but what I am stating is there could be an argument for the fact that there were only 120 left and there seems to be a small number of tongue believes left here today in our world. 

There are 600 million people in the world today that believe in speaking in tongue according to church surveys and numbers. To say that it is not real and to say that its not for today is to say that those 600 million people living today are liars and everyone before them that spoke in tongues are were taught lies as well. 

You may ask were is the scripture to back all this up and show me were tongues are used after the event of Act 2, because no where else in Acts is it that important because it is not mentioned. Well, one could argue the fact was they are were filled and so there was no need to say anything else, they wrote with the presupposition that believers that would read would already be filled or would have a similar experience. How was Luke to know the Catholic Church would arise and it would take 100s of years before Martin Luther would challenge the "faith by deeds, and establish an entire different denomination. 

 

As for the question where is scripture on tongues in the bible and if so why is it for me. Seek out the word of God, look up and down and find one place were it says, this is for the disciples only and not for people of today especially people in 2009. Tongues in throughout the New Testament Paul speaks of tongues and the tongues of men in 1 Corinthians 13 and from there on in chapters 14, 15, and 16. Only to name a few places were it is in the bible. Throughout Acts the filling of the Holy Spirit or what is called "Baptized in Holy Spirit" is mentioned many times. You can't say that tongues are not in the bible because they are, the entire book of Acts hedges on the fact that they (the disciples) are waiting on the move of the Holy Spirit. There would likely be no Acts without this infilling, and probably in Paul or John writing Revelation. Because ladies and gentlemen it takes boldness, and not boldness they received to be killed for Jesus to die for him, to speak for him, to write for him, and to even die like he did (Peter) came from this one single encounter with the Holy Spirit, the infilling of the Holy Spirit in their lives in Acts 2. 

So since you don't believe in it, you can't say it isn't real and that you don't believe in it, because you wouldn't have parts of the New Testament without it. Nathan are you saying without this the book of the bible would not have been written? Yes and No, I am saying it is very possible we would not have the book of the bibles written by disciples without this encounter because remember Peter and his denial. In fact, all of them deined him, why not deny him again and again. What changed it for them? IT WAS THE COMFORTER. It was the fact what they believed became real to them. God final showed them the power that he has when you allow him to move and take over. Without this experience it is VERY VERY possible that they would not have ever written Acts or would they meant Paul or ever been able to stand for him in the midst of facing death!!!